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CHIBA, Japan — Softball’s road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games officially begins Thursday (2 August), as the XVI WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship is set to open in Chiba, Japan.

National Team captains and coaches from 16 countries and territories across six continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Oceania) as well as many members of the media gathered at the official pre-event press conference on the eve of the opening ceremony.

WBSC Secretary General Beng Choo Low said: “This is not just any World Championship, it’s the first qualifier to the 2020 Olympic Games.”

The premier global softball tournament in the world — the WBSC women’s softball flagship event — is the first of five qualifiers for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The top finisher in Chiba, not including already qualified/host Japan, will be part of baseball and softball’s historic Olympic return at Tokyo 2020.

The Opening Ceremony of the Women’s Softball World Championship 2018 will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. local time at NASPA Stadium. Following the ceremony, the National Teams of Japan and Italy will play each other in Game 1 at 8:00 p.m. All nations will be in action on Friday, 3 August.

The Women’s Softball World Championship will be played across 73 games in 10 days. The Final will be held on Sunday, 12 August at 7:00 p.m. local time, at ZOZO Marine Stadium. All the games will be available to watch around the world, on TV or via live-stream.

For complete tournament news and updates, visit the official tournament website at https://wswc.wbsc.org, which is available in six languages (English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Traditional Chinese).